Originally posted on Linkedin.

“I programmed this myself”

This is a surreal statement I started hearing in 2025.

When I started programming 10 years ago, the word “programmer” or “coder” was a bit of a dirty word among my peer group. We believed that anyone could code but not anyone could produce large scale working software which solved real business needs. We called ourselves “software engineers” to make the distinction. Today, the landscape has shifted entirely. Anyone can produce working software, without knowing how to code. Or without even knowing what code is. Anyone can produce artwork without ever touching a paintbrush. Anyone can produce articles or books without ever writing a word of it.

2026 will see a resurgence of terminology which describes the activity and not just the output of what people do. There will be “software engineers” and there will be “programmers”. There will be “artists” and there will be “painters”. There will be “authors” and there will be “writers”.

Whether there will be any economic value in the activity and not just the output remains to be seen. But the joy and satisfaction and personal growth you get from the activity itself is not in question.